THE DOT - if this turns orange or red be alert

Monday, May 31, 2010

German President Koehler to Quit After Afghanistan Criticism

By Patrick Donahue and Brian Parkin

May 31 (Bloomberg) -- German President Horst Koehler unexpectedly announced his resignation with immediate effect, citing public criticism of remarks he made about Germany’s military mission in Afghanistan.

Koehler, a former director general of the International Monetary Fund, suggested in a May 22 interview with Germany’s Deutschlandradio that German military involvement is also necessary to protect the country’s economic interests.

Announcing his resignation in Berlin today, Koehler told reporters that the criticism “lacks any foundation” and “undermines the necessary respect for my office.”

An eventful day with Saturn and Neptun stationary within 24h and Uranus in Aries which rather describes the furious attack of Israel but what makes the things odd is that it has lost the only ally it had in the Muslim world - Turkey - after it hijacked a ship with around 400 Turkish citizens after killing and injuring some. The odd thing is that a random attack on a Turkish naval compound with 7 deaths was connected by the speaker of the ruling party AKP to the assault on the sea of the civil human Gaza supporters which is a very aggressive accusation and brings the whole situation closer to a reason for war. So far there is no proof but the coincidence might bring some ideas like this up. Now Obama has a chance to proof if he deserves the nobel peace price as so far he was rather a war activist - he needs to show that America is not a puppet of the Zionist in Israel and America although he hired some into his closest and most powerful posts with Rahm Emmanuel the most prominent one.

Another interesting outing is the CIA - Hollywood strategy of 'wag the dog' style of desinformation productions of faked videos. Makes you wonder how many and which ones had been presented to us from Osama Bın Ladin to 9/11.

excerpt

CIA considered faking Saddam Hussein sex video

The CIA considered faking a video showing Saddam Hussein having sex with a teenage boy, it has been claimed.

By Toby Harnden in Washington Published: 8:00PM BST 26 May 2010

Saddam Hussein: the video was one of several ideas proposed to discredit the former Iraqi leaderPhoto: AP

Unnamed former officers told the Washington Post it was one of a number of outlandish plans thought up to discredit the Iraqi dictator before the 2003 American-led invasion.

"It would look like it was taken by a hidden camera," said one. "Very grainy, like it was a secret videotaping of a sex session."

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Another scheme was to break into Iraqi television stations with a bogus news bulletin in which a Saddam lookalike would announce that he was stepping down.

The double would say he was to be replaced by his son Uday, a notorious sadist and libertine widely despised by Iraqis.

"I'm sure you will throw your support behind His Excellency Uday," the fake Saddam would say.

The ideas were developed by the CIA's Iraq Operations Group in collaboration with its Office of Technical Services.

According to the officer, the CIA did make a video apparently showing Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaeda lieutenants sitting beside a campfire quaffing bottles of alcoholic drinks and discussing their sexual trysts with boys. The actors were drawn from "some of us darker-skinned employees".

The ideas were strongly opposed by James Pavitt, then head of the CIA's Directorate of Operations, the spy agency's clandestine division.

A second former CIA officer said the plots were obviously ludicrous and "came from people whose careers were spent in Latin America or East Asia" and did not understand the Middle East.

A third former officer said: "Saddam playing with boys would have no resonance in the Middle East – nobody cares.

"Trying to mount such a campaign would show a total misunderstanding of the target. We always mistake our own taboos as universal when, in fact, they are just our taboos."

1. One example how the Rothschild/Rockefeller controlled mass media works as in Bloomberg this event was not even mentioned- in Turkey the news in presented completely different as a Turkish ship was attacked in international waters by Israeli commandos and at least 16 Turks were killed - this comes very close to a declaration of war is the bias in Turkish press below see how the WSJ turns the whole event in a completely different animal. I had written in earlier posts that the Turkey astro chart signals clearly a war is due within the next months. That was utterly stupid by Israel to turn the Turkish population against them which is the outcome of this crime since they seem to have done nothing else than the pirates in Somalia - they attacked and hijacked a Turkish ship in international waters.

Below the ship which was attacked and a link to a Turkish news program to see the live feed.

Israeli Commandos Attack Gaza Aid Convoy

Associated Press

AFP/Getty Images

Hamas naval policemen, holding Palestinian flags, patroled the sea off the coast of Gaza City Sunday in preparation for the arrival of the flotilla of aid and activists.

Israeli commandos on Monday stormed six ships carrying hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists on an aid mission to the blockaded Gaza Strip, setting off fierce battles in which at least four people were killed and dozens were wounded.

There were conflicting accounts of what happened.

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The Israeli military said at least four pro-Palestinian activists were killed after attacking naval commandos with knives and clubs as they boarded the six vessels. It said soldiers opened fire after a protester grabbed a weapon from one of the commandos. "The people on the boats were very, very violent toward the soldiers," said Israeli military spokeswoman Lt. Col. Avital Leibovich.

The army said dozens of people were wounded, both soldiers and activists, and it was evacuating the casualties from the Mediterranean by helicopter.

Al-Jazeera, meanwhile, reported by telephone from the Turkish ship leading the flotilla that Israeli navy forces fired at the ship and boarded it, wounding the captain.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry, citing "preliminary information," said at least two people were killed and more than 30 wounded. Turkey's NTV, which had a reporter on board one of the ships, also said two were killed.

NTV showed activists beating one Israeli soldier with sticks as he rappelled from a helicopter onto one of the boats.

A Turkish website showed video of pandemonium on board one of the ships, with activists in orange life jackets running around as some tried to help an activist apparently unconscious on the deck. The site also showed video of an Israeli helicopter flying overhead and Israeli warships nearby.

There were no details on the identities of the casualties, or on the conditions of some of the more prominent people on board, including a Nobel peace laureate and an elderly Holocaust survivor. Satellite phones on board the ships were turned off, and communication with a small group of reporters embedded with the Israeli military was blocked.

In Turkey, which had unofficially supported the aid mission, news of the attack sparked violent protests. Police blocked dozens of stone-throwing protesters who tried to storm the Israeli consulate in Istanbul.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry condemned the Israeli raid and said it was summoning the Israeli ambassador for an "urgent explanation." It says Israel violated international law and will suffer consequences. The Israeli military denied its forces attacked the boats, saying soldiers were under orders only to use fire if their lives were in danger.

The flotilla, which includes three cargo ships and three passenger ships, is trying to draw attention to Israel's blockade of Gaza, home to 1.5 million Palestinians. The boats are carrying items that Israel bars from reaching Gaza, like cement and other building materials. The activists said they also were carrying hundreds of electric-powered wheelchairs, prefabricated homes and water purifiers.

The head of the Gaza Hamas government, Ismail Haniyeh, condemned the "brutal" Israeli attack. "We call on the secretary-general of the U.N., Ban Ki-moon, to shoulder his responsibilities to protect the safety of the solidarity groups who were on board these ships and to secure their way to Gaza," said Mr. Haniyeh.

The reports came just after daybreak, with the flotilla still well away from the Gaza shore. Israel had declared it wouldn't allow the ships to reach Gaza.

The violent takeover threatened to deal yet another blow to Israel's international image, already tarnished by war-crimes accusations in Gaza and its three-year-old blockade of the impoverished Palestinian territory.

The flotilla began the journey from international waters off the coast of the east Mediterranean island of Cyprus on Sunday afternoon after two days of delays.

After nightfall Sunday, three Israeli navy missile boats left their base in Haifa, steaming out to sea to confront the ships. Two hours later, Israel Radio broadcast a recording of one of the missile boats warning the flotilla not to approach Gaza. "If you ignore this order and enter the blockaded area, the Israeli navy will be forced to take all the necessary measures in order to enforce this blockade," the radio message continued.

This is the ninth time that the Free Gaza movement, an international group of pro-Palestinian activists, has tried to ship in humanitarian aid to Gaza since August 2008. Israel has let ships through five times, but has blocked them from entering Gaza waters since a three-week military offensive against Gaza's Hamas rulers in January 2009. The latest flotilla was the largest to date.

Israel and Egypt imposed the blockade on Gaza after Hamas militants violently seized control of the seaside territory in June 2007.

Israel says the measures are needed to prevent Hamas, which has fired thousands of rockets at Israel, from building up its arsenal. But United Nations officials and international aid groups say the blockade has been counterproductive, failing to weaken the Islamic militant group while devastating the local economy.

Israel rejects claims of a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, saying it allows more than enough food and medicine into the territory. The Israelis also point to the bustling smuggling industry along Gaza's southern border with Egypt, which has managed to bring consumer goods, gasoline and livestock into the seaside strip.

Even as futures are feeling buoyant as a result of the JPY drop following the collapse of the Japanese ruling coalition (which in itself will likely spell serious JGB troubles in the days ahead), Middle-east geopolitical issues have once resurfaced... or technically submerged as the case may be. The Sunday Times reports that "three German-built Israeli submarines equipped with nuclear cruise missiles are to be deployed in the Gulf near the Iranian coastline." Presumably, this a defensive move: "The first has been sent in response to Israeli fears that ballistic missiles developed by Iran, Syria and Hezbollah, a political and military organisation in Lebanon, could hit sites in Israel, including air bases and missile launchers. The submarines of Flotilla 7 — Dolphin, Tekuma and Leviathan — have visited the Gulf before. But the decision has now been taken to ensure a permanent presence of at least one of the vessels." We are not sure Iran will take the news with the required dose of stoic acceptance. But at least we now have confirmation that Israeli subs are not being used by the Obama administration as a means of delivering nuclear armaments to the continental shelf (unless this too, is another Criss Angelesque Emmanuel Rahm masterpiece).

More from the Times:

The flotilla’s commander, identified only as “Colonel O”, told an Israeli newspaper: “We are an underwater assault force. We’re operating deep and far, very far, from our borders.”

Each of the submarines has a crew of 35 to 50, commanded by a colonel capable of launching a nuclear cruise missile.

The vessels can remain at sea for about 50 days and stay submerged up to 1,150ft below the surface for at least a week. Some of the cruise missiles are equipped with the most advanced nuclear warheads in the Israeli arsenal.

The deployment is designed to act as a deterrent, gather intelligence and potentially to land Mossad agents. “We’re a solid base for collecting sensitive information, as we can stay for a long time in one place,” said a flotilla officer.

The submarines could be used if Iran continues its programme to produce a nuclear bomb. “The 1,500km range of the submarines’ cruise missiles can reach any target in Iran,” said a navy officer.

It now seems that the Middle East is dead set on repeating the recent submarine-centric Korean festivites pretty much verbatim. Iran's reaction is not all that surprising:

Apparently responding to the Israeli activity, an Iranian admiral said: “Anyone who wishes to do an evil act in the Persian Gulf will receive a forceful response from us.”

The most troubling thing is that events in the Persian Gulf are moving much faster and politicians risk to lose all control imminently: precisely the stuff market melt ups are not made of.

Israel’s urgent need to deter the Iran-Syria-Hezbollah alliance was demonstrated last month. Ehud Barak, the defence minister, was said to have shown President Barack Obama classified satellite images of a convoy of ballistic missiles leaving Syria on the way to Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Binyamin Netanyahu, the prime minister, will emphasise the danger to Obama in Washington this week.

Tel Aviv, Israel’s business and defence centre, remains the most threatened city in the world, said one expert. “There are more missiles per square foot targeting Tel Aviv than any other city,” he said.

If that is indeed the case, one wonders what the logic of an act such as this one reported by Wire Update is: "Reports say Israeli ships attack Gaza aid flotilla. At least several people were killed and scores of others were left injured after Israeli ships clashed with six ships carrying pro-Palestinian activists and aid for Gaza, according to news reports on early Monday." A livestream of the attack on Turkish aid ships in international water via CNN Turkey can be seen here.

Is Israel now actively seeking not only to wage war, but a two-fronted one at that? (did not work out too well last time this was attempted). We don't know, although with bizarro futures, where the ES reacts inversely to what fundamentals suggest, look for another 100 points S&P move higher even with US markets close, as the world inches one step closer to nuclear war.

Sunday, May 30, 2010

Only recommended to read if you do not get depressed easily - I can not imagine things to escalate that fast but I do know we get evil patterns which are even worse than the ones of 1930-1 from an astrological point of view and Uranus makes things rather unpredictable to their magnitude. All I am prepared for is that things will get really ugly this summer and going forward but war like scenarios I rather see more 2011 as Uranus square Pluto is nuke explosive. On the other hand they get as close as 2 degrees this summer and with Mars joining Jupiter Israel or who ever could be crazy enough to attack Iran.

excerpt

How it might happen...

By Dan Eden

I've witten lots about 2012, the Mayan Calendar and the special alignments that will cause changes to the Sun and Earth. I often get e-mails from people asking where they should be to survive on that auspicious day: December 21, 2012. Sadly, truth is that things will get very bad long before that date. Just look around the world today. It's already happening.

While the "doomsday" of Biblical proportions is still in the near future, and largely unknown, the decline of human civilization is slowly but surely going on all around us. Many of us, who have become aware of what is happening, take notice of a special computer program that has been able to successfully predict the future. It's called the "web bot" and was developed by Cliff High.

There is an article all about the program, how it works etc., on viewzone, so I will leave it to you to read more about it. It's been used by stock brokers and money managers as well as the military because of its remarkable ability to predict the future, based on a linguistic analysis of content on the internet. Cliff lets the computer program explore millions of links and issues reports every few months. At least he used to do that.

The interesting thing is that there were rumors that Cliff would produce no additional reports after the one written in early 2010 because, well, the predictions were so bad. Some blogs reported that Cliff had taken off with his family to a safe place. Others had him in a deep depression somewhere. But he recently came back on line and issued a new report. You can find it at halfpasthuman.com.

His latest report fascinated me as it included several scenarios, based on the data from his program, that meshed well with current events. It covers the remaining part of 2010 and into early 2011. It's not quite at the "doomsday" of 2012 yet, but it shows how things have already started to unravel. I thought it was important enough to give you a synopsis of events -- what I am calling "scenarios of a catastrophe." But I strongly advise you to get the source material on his web site.

In his previous predictions, Cliff noted that there would be a dark and poisonous cloud that would dramatically change the world for the worse. He linked this cloud to the word "mistake" but thought it might be related to an Israeli attack on Iran, releasing some toxic cloud. Well, it wasn't an Israeli mistake after all [above, right] but a cloud of a different sort [above, left], nevertheless a big "mistake."

So, here are some of the most interesting scenarios supported by the web bot data. I've used some of Cliff's data to paint a more visual picture of the events. I don;t think I have wandered too far off from what he reports. Anyway, here goes:

Scenario #1

The summer of 2010 opens with the crash of the derivatives market. The value of the dollar drops and many people are caught off guard. Suddenly, the cash that they have had in savings, as well as their earnings, buys much less than before. Most effected is food, which suddenly becomes the most expensive item in the family budget.

The War in Afghanistan winds down as America realizes both the futility and failure of their operation there. There is much concern over the quality of soldiers, their morale and morality, and the readiness of the military as a whole to respond to any real threat to America.

The "oil volcano" continues to leak massive amounts in to the Gulf of Mexico. People get ill from both the oil and the chemicals used to treat it and there is a growing revolt against BP as they delay their claims and break their promises to compensate the people for their economic and environmental damages.

In mid-July there are crises in the former Eastern Block of Europe because of severe food shortages. There are riots with "blood in the streets" almost daily. The violence begins here and starts to spread to Europe as a whole. There are austerity measures instituted in many countries along with restrictions on travel and commerce. These events give birth to many revolutionary movements which will later cause great conflicts in Europe -- both inside their nation or origin and against the European Union. Many people demand the disolution of the EU and the economy of Europe is what can only be called "anarchy."

Towards the end of the summer the problems with the US dollar result in a total collapse of global currency (i.e. "paper money") and those who have bought gold as a hedge on this situation discover it is virtually useless when trying to buy necessities such as food and supplies. When it is used, it is discounted so much that it is considered more an annoyance than a smart investment. The inconvenience of gold makes its market value drop to all time lows.

The U.S. Government pretty much admits the financial collapse and announces that it can not back the issuance of checks, meaning disability, unemployment and salary checks are stopped. Instead, beneficiaries are issued promisary coupons or "goverment coupons" -- this causes many government employees to refuse to work and the infrastructure of services is in chaos.

Riots break out in American cities. Many former government workers, as they are now not on the payroll, reveal certain pracrices on the government that cause outrage in the population, culminating in acts of violence. Like in Europe, a "Population Liberation Movement" gains popularity and opposed the government. The government tries to contain these acts of violence but tensions escalate and there are four days of war in the streets, with many casualties. On the fifth day, an anti-government militia group attacks and kills a group of very prominent and powerful people and declare "victory for the people." Eventually an anti-establishment movement of a global proportion breaks out all over the earth.

Several massive earthquakes happen around the globe. One in the Gulf of Mexico eventually stops the leaking oil, but not until March 2012.

Unrest and the lack of central control in many governments causes war and anarchy to spread across the planet. Casualties from the violence, plus starvation, plus the poisons in the environment cause over a billion people to die.

Scenario #2

As the summer begins, Israel attacks Iran in July 2010. The Isrealis believe that the U.S. is getting weak and they want to bring America in to the conflict while she is still strong. While they inflict much damage on Iran, Iran retaliates and destroys many U.S. installations in neighboring Iraq. The attack somehow releases radiation in Israeli cities, making Tel Aviv and other populated spots uninhabitable. Reports emerge that the Israelis had stored nuclear material at a secret site which was subsequently destroyed by a suicide bomber, creating a "dirty bomb" that spreads radiation everywhere. Other clouds of radiation move around the globe, threatening populations and causing a humanitarian crisis.

In addition to the radioactive clouds, people must continue to cope with the oil leaking in the Gulf of Mexico and the ash clouds from several active volcanoes.

President Obama resists getting involved because of pressure from both China and Russia -- as well as some information he has become aware of since assuming the presidency. As a result, Israel is defeated and, in desperation, attempts a "false flag" attack in Iraq to once again try to draw the US in to the conflict. But they are not unsuccessful. In August, Obama addresses the nation and reveals the influence that Zionism has had on American domestic politics and reveals other evil acts that they have conducted against the American public over the past years.

There are four days of violence as Zionists, disguised as a populist domestic movement, try to coup against Obama and the government. This is put down on the fifth day and there is a backlash against Zionists. Eventually there are hearings where the Zionists are exposed and put on trial. A group of Jewish women leave the temples and attempt to reform the faith.

An earthquake seals the oil leak but not before it causes many deaths from environmental pollution and poisoning of the crops from toxic rains, brought about by the chemicals used to disperse the oil. Also, volcanoes in various parts of the world -- Iceland in particular -- have caused crop failures and famine, resulting in the outbreak of disease.

In the end, over a billion people die from war and environmental catastrophes.

Scenarion #3

The summer of 2010 begins with a global currency collapse, followed by deflation. The value of a dollar is so low that many people begin using barter as a means to exchange goods and services. Especially difficult are the high prices for food, energy and metals.

New violence in Iraq and Afghanistan causes America to realize that their efforts to stabilize the regions are a failure. This admission becomes a sign of failure in the eyes of the rest of the world and America is seen as weak. This demoralizes the people and causes a crisis with the Obama presidency.

Efforts to stop the oil from leaking in to the Gulf of Mexico continue to fail. Even the "sure fix" has problems and doesn't work. As early as July, the blow out valve is found to have corroded inside and fails, revealing the true amount of oil and pressure in the well. The public then becomes aware of the potential destruction that this may cause to the entire planet. Many people panic. The oil begins to circulate through the Alantic currents to other countries while the chemical used to dispurse the oil begin to take their toll on human and wild life, as well as on vegetation in the form of toxic rain.

In this scenario, the "Twelve Days of Torment" of Obama are over his decision to stop the leak by dramatic means. Obama consults with military leaders and decides that nuclear weapons will be used to fuse the ocean floor and stop the flow of oil. He knows this is the worse of the worse options, but there seems no other solution. The media will attempt to redice public fears by calling it the "closing mechanism."

Over the summer, more drilling is conducted around the now "oil volcano" and nuclear devices are placed in the holes. There are many scientists who protest, warning of such things as radioactive water, fallout and damage to the fragile Madrid Tectonic Plate. All oil pumping on the planet is shut down temporarily. There is a huge "diaspora" as residents along the southern states, the Caribbean Islands, Mexico and Central America migrate away from the Gulf of Mexico by the millions, fearing fallout from the nuclear detonations. There is great concern that some are too poor to move. Rumors of a nuclear explosion cause extreme fear as people try to leave uncontrollably and by any means. This creates panic situations throughout the rest of the United States as people, fearing for their lives, head North, placing a burdon on the already impoverished citizens.

The "oil volcano" impacts the British royalty when it is rumored that BP is "Crown" corporation (i.e. the Queen of England). Extreme anger is directed towards BP because of this but is somewhat muted by the fears of people who have been directly impacted by the disaster.

Millions begin to die from the toxic effects of the oil and dispersant chemicals, adding to the drama.

The president holds out until November. The nuclear device (i.e. "closing mechanism") is eventually detonated and causes a series of earthquakes and crustal shifting that last for four days. People all wait anxiously to hear the results. Eventually it is determined that the oil leak has been successfully closed and there is a huge celebration in January 2011 celebrating this event. Certain military individuals who helped make this happen are honored in a special ceremony.

Investigations of BP have been going on for months prior to stopping the oil leak. Once the leak is sealed, the population moves back to their homes and tries to restart their lives. BP officials are tacked down and "re-educated" or executed for their crimes.

Meanwhile, the collapse of currency in Europe has resulted in riots and starvation, similar to what was seen in the World Wars. Many thousands -- hundreds of thousands -- have died. The governments of Europe have been attacked by many armed political movements and it is doubtful that the European Union will continue to exist.

Along with the deaths associated with the oil, environmental toxins and the diaspora, over a billion people are dead.

What happens next?

I recently came across some material about the phenomenon called Remote Viewing. It will be the subject of my next article, but some things I researched are applicable to the web bot and the predictions I have enumerated above.

Remote Viewing is a psychic ability that some people have (or, if you believe researchers, everyone has) where a person can "see" future events. The problem is that some people are extremely accurate sometimes, but not accurate other times. Since science is based on statistical analysis, this has sullied the acceptance of the phenomenon by the scientific community. But that may change with a new discovery.

In remote viewing there are three events that take place: the Remote Viewing Attempt (RVA), the target event (TE)-- the thing the RV person is trying to "see" -- and the Task Assignment (TA) -- where some person gives the assignment of what the RV should look for.

When viewing a future event, traditional sessions were of the order TA - RVA - TE. But these didn't always result in good predictions. So some researchers tried a different order of RVA - TE - TA.

In the latter, the Remote Viewer is still attempting to predict a future event, but the person assigning the task does it after the Remote Viewer has made the prediction and after the actual target event. The person assigning the event looks at some events that have already happened, say in the past month, and selects one and writes it down on a paper and puts it in a safe. Meanwhile, months before this -- and before the target event has happened -- the Remote Viewer is asked to "see" what the assignment is and describe it.

This second method has been shown to be extremely accurate. But why?

The theory is that we live in multiple universes or multiple futures. In order to "see" the future accurately there must be a "marker" event -- an attractor of sorts -- to pull us in to certain threads of possibilities. Since the target event was chosen in the future, the unique future where the event happened has been established. It can therefore be predicted.

I know. It gets confusing. But it does relate to the scenarios I have described and which are revealed in the web bot. It explains why they are so different, yet have the same outcome. They are just different possible futures that we may experience.

But what about the "marker"? Is the Mayan Calendar a marker of a unique future? Is our pre-occupation with "doomsday" somehow able to influence which future reality we will experience? Can we change the future by visualization?

These are heavy thoughts. The human mind seems capable of projecting realities by meditation and concentration. Perhaps we should be careful what we think.

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Just reminding that the article below was written in June 2001 before a huge crash occured. This summer we have again a lunar eclipse only partial but exactly on the evil T-square Saturn, Uranus, Pluto and Jupiter are forming this summer in cardinal signs which is as bad as it gets.Indeed this hurricane season might be one of the worst in decades and turn the oil spill into a historic disaster.

excerpt

Put On Your Crash Helmets

The market will soon enter a cycle that has been associated with some of the great crashes of history.

If you believe that lunar or solar cycles have any effect on the stock market, you might want to pay attention to this column. If not, you might find this column a little ... spacey.

Several years back, a cycle watcher named Steve Puetz attempted to see if eclipses and market crashes were somehow related. He studied eight of the greatest crashes in financial history, from the Holland Tulip Mania of 1637 to the Nikkei of 1990. He found that market crashes tend to occur near full moons, and that the greatest number of crashes start after the first full moon after a solar eclipse, when that full moon is also a lunar eclipse. Puetz found that all eight crashes occurred six days before to three days after a full moon that occurred within six weeks of a solar eclipse. The odds of that being a coincidence, Puetz calculated, are less than 1 in 127,000.

Puetz was not saying that so-called "Puetz windows" always lead to crashes, but that if a crash is going to occur, a Puetz window would be the likely time frame in which it would happen. Puetz windows tend to occur every year or two, while crashes are rare events.

The interesting thing about this summer is that two Puetz windows will occur very close to one another, according to cycle watcher Heinz Blasnik. The first window is June 21-July 5, and the second is July 30-August 7. If a significant top is going to occur in the market this summer, those are the likely windows, Blasnik says.

It is interesting to note that a Puetz window with a total lunar eclipse occurred from July 1-July 16 last year. July 17 turned out to be a major secondary top in the Nasdaq (4289), and the start of a sharp, 18% pullback in the index. However, the Nasdaq's relentless sell-off did not begin until the index marked a second, slightly lower top on September 1 at 4259. A second Puetz window, with a full moon that was not a lunar eclipse, occurred from July 31-August 15 last year.

Another Puetz window (albeit two days longer than the required six-week interval between solar eclipse and full moon) occurred in August-October 1998, right before the plunge to the lows of the Asian crisis. Others in January and July 1999 coincided with relatively mild pullbacks (10%-15% on the Nasdaq).

Whether lunar and solar cycles can affect individual or mass psychology is a subject that has been debated for centuries. Stock traders have long had a saying, "Sell the full moon, buy the new," and it is remarkable how often new and full moons can mark a turn in the market within a day or two.

Just looking at the last few years of data, a Puetz window appears to be most effective when it occurs against a backdrop of economic crisis or weakness. Given the difficult state of the economy and corporate earnings, the two Puetz windows this summer might be worth keeping an eye on.

In the next excerpt Merriman describes some pattern but has the tendency to be rather a bullish observer is my impression. Around June1926 when Uranus ingressed Aries the last time it had no effect on the upside - on e year later as Jupiter joined we had a 10% rise but keep in mind back then both were not challenged by Saturn or Pluto which makes it a complete different animal. Just 2 isolated samples 20 years ago when Jupiter was opposite Saturn markets dropped by over 20% the same is true for most Saturn Uranus oppositions

Short-Term Geocosmics

What a line up ahead of us. In fact, we are in it, the fourth phase of the Cardinal Climax as discussed the prior two weeks. On Thursday, Uranus moved into Aries, a signal for new inventions, new solutions, and new enlightening awareness. Everything could change now. It is a new day.

On Sunday, Saturn will end its retrograde motion in late Virgo, and start its new initiative back into Libra this summer and into 2012. As it changes its direction to direct, Saturn assumes greater significance in the world consciousness right now. In the markets, Saturn is fear (Jupiter is greed). On Monday (Memorial Holiday in the USA, and markets will be closed), Neptune starts its multi-month retrograde journey. Thus Neptune is also to be highlighted in the collective conscience. Neptune pertains to hopes and wishes, but as well to gossip and rumor-mongering and misinformation (sometimes intentionally, for the purpose of causing embarrassment to one’s opponents). Together they can correlate with great diappointment, tears, or an effort o tear down one's reputation via underhanded methods. Or they can coincide with a deeper understanding of spirtitual law. Both of these are powerful Level One signatures in the history of stock market reversals. Both have very strong correlations to the completion of primary cycles within 11 and 10 trading days respectively. Since the stock market has been coming down, we look for a primary cycle trough during this time band. It could have happened last week. Or there could yet be another 1000 point drop before this time band comes to an end, for with Jupiter and Uranus also involved, price moves are always more than we expect. But once it ends, look for a 1000 point rally or more to follow in the next few weeks, maybe even days.

We promised it would be a wild spring and summer. It’s just starting. And for those who aren’t emotionally attached to the events of the outer world over which they have little control, this can be an extremely exciting and creative time. On the other hand, if you are too emotionally attached, it could instead be a time of panic and erratic behavior. You may not have a choice in the events that happen in the world or in your personal life right now. But you do have a choice as to how emotionally attached you are to either, and hence how you will respond and what opportunities you will forge out of these experiences. Make the most out of them.

Longer-Term Thoughts

Jupiter and Uranus in Aries. Here we go through at least the first few days of September. With it will likely unfold a flurry of activity, accompanied by brilliant new thought and innovation. Everything will seem fast-paced, even chaotic. It is a new world, a new day, symbolized by Aries, the first sign of the zodiac. On the one hand, there will be displays of great confidence and hope, signified by Jupiter in Aries. On the other hand, there will also likely be outrageous displays of “macho-ism,” that wonderful American term that describes the male entity with too much desire to prove his brutish strength over others. It is interesting that in America these days, there is much attention being placed on the psychological impact of the “bully” when growing up. Bullying is a Martian term (of Mars, perhaps in association with Jupiter). Mars is the ruler of Aries, and soon-to-be temporary residence of Jupiter. North Korea lets loose a torpedo onto a South Korean ship and then promises to punish South Korea if anyone finds fault in this crass act of aggression. It is just the beginning. Boys who rule the world – or want to rule the world - are apt to want their macho-ism validated through intimidation of others. That is why the 84-year cycle of Uranus in Aries usually coincides with wars, or the build-up to wars.

But it is important in the history of stock markets too. As published in “The Ultimate Book on Stock Market Timing, Vol 2: Geocosmic Correlations to Investment Cycles,” Uranus at the end of Pisces and into Aries coincides with long-term market troughs. In fact, the 4 cases of 72-year or greater cycles in British and U.S. stocks have taken place when Uranus was between 23 degrees of Pisces and 23 degrees of Aries. Did it already happen March 6-9, 2009, when Uranus was at 22 Pisces, just one degree before the sector in which this bottom has historically unfolded? We shall soon see.

And what we shall also see in the next couple of months, and even the whole next 1-2 years, is a possible transformation of the Federal Reserve Board. That is because it has its natal Sun at 1 degree Capricorn, and in opposition to its natal Pluto at 0 degrees of Cancer. As Jupiter and Uranus move together into Aries, they form a square to this FRB Sun-Pluto opposition. Perhaps that is why the bubble seems to be developing in the U.S. Treasuries, for aspects to the FRB chart correlate with the value of Treasury Bonds and notes. It will be most interesting in August when both Mars and Saturn move into Libra, opposite this Jupiter and Uranus in Aries, and forming a grand square to the FRB Sun-Pluto opposition. This is a signature of explosion or transformation, a symbol of termination or renewal. I wonder what was hidden that is to be revealed around that time? Maybe an audit would be in order after all, for whenever Pluto is involved, there is usually some sort of collusion or financial transaction that has been taking place that someone wants to keep hidden. If it comes out, it could pose a great danger to one in a position of power, or the one who made the discovery. And hence, it may never come out.

I recommend reading this excerpt from Jan 2010

http://www.crawfordperspectives.com/documents/CP10Jan_000.pdf

ANOTHER MAJOR CRASH?!BUT NOT RIGHT AWAYThe year ahead appears to us to contain the most powerful planetary alignments in centuries, not just decades. These are likely to change the world as we know it in ways that we can see only through a glass, darkly.It is our fervent desire and hope that the extreme energies released upon the Earth this year will lead to an evolutionary leap in human consciousness. The concern is that they are rattling the fabric of our familiar universe, unraveling the ‘strings’ that have held together the internal, external & geopolitical appearance of our daily lives.Our Mormon brothers and sisters are required to keep 2 years worth of food and water in their homes. Adopting such practices may save some of us from the developing exigencies?!Although we are not expecting deep retracements until after the Bradley Astronomic Model turns down during March, and perhaps until other cycles peak during May, the near term is losing some of its multi-month forward motion, & there may be a larger dip ahead now.Our prediction of higher highs in March are consonant with the recent historical perspective, and are confirmed by higher positive planetary combinations. If, after the March Equinox, market indices begin to erode, breaking trendlines, moving averages & various support levels, we will “Hit the Bid”!!We have a dichotomy of ‘timing’ staring us in the face this year. It would be considered a ‘done deal’ or a high probability that World Markets will Crash again during 2010. The point of greatest exactitude of the general ‘meanness’ will show itself in late July and early August. During that period Mars will conjoin Saturn, both opposing Jupiter conjoining Uranus (you can joke all you want, but THIS is no laughing matter). Pluto will form a square angle to all four, making a T-Square pattern of extreme animosity.The dichotomy arises from the Bradley Model showing the Crash period as down from March and culminating with this configuration. On the other hand, our Mars/Uranus Crash Cycle portion of their synodic period, which has contained Every Crash for the last 100 years, bodes the Crash period AFTER the completion of the massive alignment.We will do everything but guarantee you that stocks will crash worldwide within three months of August first (that is between May 1 and November 1). It is expected that technical market analysis of data generated by current market action will assist in pinpointing most danger/opportunity as critical moments approach. The fate of the world is in the balance!Only one caveat: There was a Grand Cross Solar Eclipse August 10-11 of 1999. Although a Turkish city directly below its path was totally destroyed a week later, with 45,000 killed, it did not obviously affect markets right away.However, asthat alignment dissipated, the market drop of 2000-2002 got started in earnest, and it was a bad one. When Saturn hit the angle of the Eclipse, the NASDAQ had its worst down day in years.One early danger sign is the chart (above) of the VIX or CBOE Option Volatility Index. Notice that it is edging back down to lows of the last two years. That means that sentiment is gaining in confidence and money managers are not bothering to protect themselves against traumatic downside by buying put options. It isa ‘contrary’ indication. Similarly, Cash in Rydex Money Market accounts (not shown) are also at new lows for 20-24 months.“25 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; 26 Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.” Luke 21:25-26

Friday, May 28, 2010

1. Yesterday we closed at the high which is a classic short covering pattern and you may remember 10th May where we did almost exactly the same - you may also recall what happened on the 13th which is pretty much what we will do early next week heading down again. As things are heating up badly in Korea we have plenty of clusters with potential triggers of risk reversion as the market is very fragile. Technically we made the rebound I expected from the 1045/50 area and my max target remains at 1120 which still can be reached on Tuesday. Todays Full Moon in Sagittarius which is positive for stocks kept markets up and is always bound in a window of 3 days prior and 3 days after it occurs but we are heading for a very negative time cluster probably the worst we have had in 200 years end of June through July with Solar and Lunar eclipses which will effect markets deeply and the Dollar on the negative side. I have tried to explain that information a few times in earlier blogs here from a different source the same message - remember I put out DEFCON 5 a few weeks back around 1140 up to 1220 SPX and urged to get short

excerpt

Good Moon/Bad Moon

Got a pet theory going into the open of trading in the US market today - which came through with a screaming 284 point advance on the Dow yesterday which was even better than the 200-I was expecting. The theory goes like this: People are crazy around the full moon. In fact, I think it was Steve Puetz who first noticed the effect.

Let me quote from a June 2001 article from internetnews.com:

"Several years back, a cycle watcher named Steve Puetz attempted to see if eclipses and market crashes were somehow related. He studied eight of the greatest crashes in financial history, from the Holland Tulip Mania of 1637 to the Nikkei of 1990. He found that market crashes tend to occur near full moons, and that the greatest number of crashes start after the first full moon after a solar eclipse, when that full moon is also a lunar eclipse. Puetz found that all eight crashes occurred six days before to three days after a full moon that occurred within six weeks of a solar eclipse. The odds of that being a coincidence, Puetz calculated, are less than 1 in 127,000."

The rest of this Paul Shread article is a must-read if you're not familiar with Puetz work.

About here, you may be asking yourself "With the futures up, and everything looking rosy again, why would old Gloomster George dredge up a story out of 2001 for me to read?"

And that means the next full moon after July 11th will come July 26th. But while it may be tempting to sit on the sidelines until then, there's also some correlation between madness and full moons which is why - at the peak of the market today - or near it as I can time things, I will go 'all in' with the few "play dollars" I have in paper assets.

Since I'll be playing either very long expiration (2011) put options on selected financial stocks, or the triple bear financial stock ETF, I'll have plenty of time to watch and wait.

If Ben Bernanke and Tim Geithner can print money, I figure George can, too. And this is how I plan to do it.

CAVEAT: This is not financial advise: I'm a wild-eyed, hard drinkin, cussin', no good, steel-for-guts, options player with more losses than sense. But when I have gains? Well, they've been pretty good.

---

Speaking of matters aloft and their relationship to markets, please try to remember that just because I don't continually write about what's coming astrologically, doesn't mean I'm not aware of it - and give it a wide berth.

To save you the trouble of clicking - it's Friday and you have to be tired of it by now - and to save me additional bandwidth charges for your incessant clicking, here's what I wrote in October of 2009:

With the Bad Part of 2010

Had a most interesting conversation with Arch Crawford last night about what's ahead, not only for the ugly part of this year's market (wait a week or two and you won't be saying "huh?") but also about the really ugly part of 2010; which is you want to mark it down should show up sometime between late July and Early August of next year by his work.

Crawford ( www.crawfordperspectives.com about $250/yr ) has been writing a financial newsletter for about 32 years and was "ranked #1 market timer for the 2008 calendar year" by Hulbert's Financial Digest. What's interesting about Crawford's work is that it's an astrologically based report - although other cycles are considered, too - which makes it interesting when a person (like me) is trying to line up periods where multiple predictive systems are all pretty much saying the same thing.

Just as the predictive linguistics work is pointing to big market moves starting as early as late Sunday (Monday in Asian trading time) Crawford's work shows there's a rough patch there.

But more worrisome is his take on the mid-2010 period. "It's about the worst we've ever seen," he told me.

How bad is bad?

"Well, when something is worse than the Revolutionary War, World War I, the Great Depression, and World War II, that's bad - it's the worst I've seen the charts in over 200-years.

As he explains it, there's Mars conjunction Saturn which will be in opposition to Jupiter conjucting Uranus all squaring Pluto.

Not that it means a hill of beans to me - I'll take a GPS reading, thanks - but because of the Pluto is where it is mid summer of next year the biggie stuff out there is likely to be planetary in nature.

Interestingly, this also corresponds to the predictive linguistics work what has the big showdown basically between good guys and bad guys there; a time when the global mass of humans will be seeking revenge/change/retribution from the PTB.

As expected the EUR has found at least a temp bottom and this time it will exceed the 1.27 level and has a target of 1.30-2. This can be a wave 4 count up or an ultimate turn but the probability is rather 60% for temp. turn for the time being. As we clearly will have another leg down in stocks in the next weeks that might be induced by more problems in Europe but also can be triggered my many other potential geopolitical crisis nukes. Nevertheless in about 3 months from here the Euro crisis will shift back to a Dollar crisis ( that is what astro says as we have a lunar eclipse on the FED chart). The mantra for the Euro is buy any weakness for now as soon as the 1.2450 resistance is broken we will rally to 1.27 and 1.30 thereafter.

Thursday, May 27, 2010

excerpts from http://www.zerohedge.com/

The jocular ukulele-strumming grandpa, who many years ago railed on and on against derivatives (see his 1982 letter here) then subsequently sold billions in notional of index puts against his earlier oh so sincere advice, has been formally subpoenaed, note - notinvited, to testify before the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission on the topic of "Credibility of Credit Ratings, the Investment Decisions Made Based on those Ratings, and the Financial Crisis", side by side with Moody's archvillain CEO Raymond McDaniel, the head of a company in which Buffett has (or is that had?) a huge equity stake, up until MCO's announcement it had received Wells Notice together with a recommendation to strip it of its NRSRO status, when it became obvious that Warren had been selling shares of Moody's in the period between the Notice receipt and announcement. What is most interesting is that Buffett had to be forced to participate in the hearing following a formal subpoena receipt, after he had declined participation on two prior occasions. We wonder, if in addition to unmatched hypocrisy and a guilty conscience, the octogenarian has anything else to hide?

Matt Taibbi's Latest: Wall Street's War, And Some New Perspectives On The Fed's Goblin-In-Chief

It's early May in Washington, and something very weird is in the air. As Chris Dodd, Harry Reid and the rest of the compulsive dealmakers in the Senate barrel toward the finish line of the Restoring American Financial Stability Act – the massive, year-in-the-making effort to clean up the Wall Street crime swamp – word starts to spread on Capitol Hill that somebody forgot to kill the important reforms in the bill. As of the first week in May, the legislation still contains aggressive measures that could cost once-indomitable behemoths like Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan Chase tens of billions of dollars. Somehow, the bill has escaped the usual Senate-whorehouse orgy of mutual back-scratching, fine-print compromises and freeway-wide loopholes that screw any chance of meaningful change.

The real shocker is a thing known among Senate insiders as "716." This section of an amendment would force America's banking giants to either forgo their access to the public teat they receive through the Federal Reserve's discount window, or give up the insanely risky, casino-style bets they've been making on derivatives. That means no more pawning off predatory interest-rate swaps on suckers in Greece, no more gathering balls of subprime shit into incomprehensible debt deals, no more getting idiot bookies like AIG to wrap the crappy mortgages in phony insurance. In short, 716 would take a chain saw to one of Wall Street's most lucrative profit centers: Five of America's biggest banks (Goldman, JP Morgan, Bank of America, Morgan Stanley and Citigroup) raked in some $30 billion in over-the-counter derivatives last year. By some estimates, more than half of JP Morgan's trading revenue between 2006 and 2008 came from such derivatives. If 716 goes through, it would be a veritable Hiroshima to the era of

Now that the Gulf of Mexico has been (presumably) plugged up, pressure in the earth's core is rising once again, and thus it may be time to refocus on the imminent explosion of Iceland's second and much larger volcano Katla. Why? Because, as MSNBC reports, the Icelandic president Ólafur Grímsson has warned governments around Europe "that a significant eruption at the volcano is close." Seeing how his credibility has not been destroyed by associating with the other Eurozone and IMF idiots, we tend to think he knows what he is talking about. Also disclosed were the findings of a paper by the University College of London which concludes that "given the high frequency of Katla activity, an eruption in the short term is a strong possibility." And just like with the GOM debacle, scientists say that the response by Europe to the first volcanic eruption has been atrocious, as none of the events that have transpired were not unexpected. Of course, when Katla blows up too, there will be terror and panic, as airlines are cut once again, and trade in Europe, already lethargic, crawls to a halt, when as usual, all this could be prevented by spending just a little extra money not on bank bail outs but on prevention measures. Of course, that would mean record European bank bonuses may be lower by a few euros. And that is simply unacceptable.

The monthly chart on the DOW gives us the real picture where daily fluctuations do not distract. We defended in March 2009 the support line made a bit to steep recovery but stopped at the 50 month MA to make an impulsive down-move which ended the bull campaign. Even on monthly terms we are not oversold any more and are building a huge Head and Shoulder top. The high of that right shoulder is in and its now only a matter of time until we test the neckline at 6500 once again but it can and will take at least 1 year is my current assumption. So the little upswing currently is another chance to add to shorts or get rid of longs the 9700 support does have no significance as you can see yourself on this chart. In a short term chart it stopped down-moves 3 times this year so farbut again only a matterof weeks to crack.

1. Markets are in screw them all mode gaping up and down around a crucial area but on top of that we also had beyond the regular manipulators a special event as markets sold off on news by FT that China would consider exiting parts of the EUR holdings they accumulated around the highs of the EUR which was denied today and triggered again a strong reversal even before markets open. The timing is very interesting ( a friend pointed that out) as it happens exactly after the Clinton,Geithner, Bernanke visit to China pushing for higher Yuan. The question is did the Chinese show America that they have some bargaining chips and deliberately created this 24h event?After the steep losses this month we also should see some upside window dressing with a long weekend ahead at months end its an interesting timing event from many angles plus to give one sample I wondered why the june 47 qqqq calls were by far the most active series trading but today one thing is crisp clear who ever bought them new this china denial would come as they will double which is the easy money the insiders make.After all it produced the final dip below 1.22 for the EUR once again and we are now very likely up for the 1.30 target.

excerpt

China Denies Review of Euro-Zone Bond Holdings

China remains committed to its long-standing goal of diversifying its foreign exchange reserves, a government official said on Thursday, helping to soothe markets unnerved by a report that the country was reviewing its euro-zone bond holdings.

Karin Slade | The Image Bank | Getty Images

Flag of the People's Republic of China

The official, who is familiar with how the government manages its $2.4 trillion of reserves, told Reuters that the direction of diversification "will not change", when asked about a report that the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) was concerned about its exposure to debt troubles in Europe.

SAFE declined to comment.

Separately, a banker who has worked with China's reserve managers said they would exercise more caution about buying the euro in the short term, but that they had few other outlets for investing their stockpile of cash -- the world's largest.

2. The Greece central bank screws their own people as it sells Gold around 1700 price tag a whopping 500 above market value but on the other hand even people in Canada seem to pay up to 20% premium for the Eric Sprott Gold fund - which has all the symptoms of a bubble I usually would say. Why would anyone buy at such premium when via internet or a short trip you could buy it cheaper. If one buys minimum quantities the expenses of travel would not pay off but I assume the buyers are rather affluent and in case of Eric Sprott it does not make sense.Even GLD if bought in a critical mass of 10 mio (if I collect correctly) can urge physical delivery which obviously does not fit most retailers size - but before paying 20 % premium I rather organize a trip because at the end you do not get physical delivery from the Sprott fund either for your share. Fiat money will loose its value thats true but last time that happened FDR screwed all Americans and global Gold owners and set the Gold price at fixed 35 Dollar down from over 200. With all major banks like JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley, HSBC, Barclays holding huge shorts on Gold and Silver they must rely that such a thing will happen again or they are bust. Imagine governments return to Goldstandard at fixed price of 100 lets say - those banks have made the short -trade of the century.

And there are those who wonder how Sprott's PHYS could have traded at "ludicrous" NAV premium of over 20%. Coinupdate.com reports that prices at which the Greek Central Bank is selling one ounce gold equivalents are as high as $1,700 (40% over spot), and prices on the black markets are even higher. The punchline, as Athens slowly returns to a forced gold standard: " A popular spot for street vendors to sell their coins is near the Athens Stock Exchange. There the traders wait for citizens to bring payments received from unloading their paper assets like stocks and bonds." That's good - downtown Manhattan close to the NYSE has some free space for gold vendors to set up shop as well, they just need to push some of the frontrunning/collocation boxes off to the side. And in other rhetorical ruminations, is it safe to say that the last days of the fiat experiment are among us now that people themselves are bypassing the government and enforcing their own gold standard?

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

4. The sentiment numbers are coming down a bit but we did not reach levels you usually have around lows. Still some to go on many different indicators but the 1045/50 was a good support temp. but on or the other hand will be broken within 2 weeks.

Date Published

Percent Bullish

Percent Bearish

05/26

39.3

29.2

05/19

43.8

24.7

05/12

47.2

24.7

05/05

56

18.7

04/28

54

18

04/21

53.3

17.4

04/14

51.1

18.9

04/06

48.9

18.9

03/31

48.3

19.1

03/24

48.9

20.5

03/17

46.1

21.3

03/10

44.9

23.6

03/03

42.1

22.7

02/24

41.1

23.3

02/17

35.6

27.8

02/10

34.1

26.1

02/03

38.9

22.2

01/27

40

23.3

01/20

52.2

18.9

01/13

53.4

15.9

5.War preparation at full scale it seems - what really made me nervous was to see Patraeus on Bloomberg TV about 2 months ago saying that we only have one year left until Iran has a nuke weapon. Why would the chief war general come to a Business station to make such a declarationother than to prepare for war.

US expands secret military operations: report

The United States has sanctioned a major expansion of clandestine military operations in both hostile and friendly countries, according to classified documents which emerged today.

General David Petraeus, commander of US Central Command, issued the secret orders in September allowing the Pentagon to engage in espionage and reconnaissance across the Middle East and the Horn of Africa without regular congressional oversight or prior approval from the White House.

Some Pentagon officials told the New York Times they were worried that the expanded role could strain relationships with allies like Saudi Arabia and Yemen.

There are also concerns within the military that American troops serving outside traditional combat zones risk being treated as spies if they are apprehended and thus denied the rights enshrined in the Geneva Convention.

Related Links

General Petraeus’ order was designed to create networks that could “penetrate, disrupt, defeat or destroy” al-Qaeda and other militant groups as well as “prepare the environment” for future attacks by US or local military forces.

Shortly before the order was issued, Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan, one of east Africa’s most wanted al-Qaeda militants, was killed in an attack by helicopter-borne US Special Operations Forces in Somalia .

The seven-page directive also reportedly authorised specific operations in Iran, thought to be focused on gathering intelligence about the country’s nuclear program and identifying dissident groups.

The Joint Unconventional Warfare Task Force Execute Order, signed on September 30, may have laid the foundation for the surge of American military activity in Yemen that began three months later.

Military and intelligence assistance was increased to help Yemeni forces strike al-Qaeda targets while more unmanned aerial drones were deployed.

Central Command has been positioning Reaper drones at a base in the Horn of Africa. Officials said the drones can be used against militants in Yemen and Somalia, and even against pirates who attack ships in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean.

“The Defence Department can’t be caught flat-footed,” one Pentagon official told the New York Times.

During the Bush administration, Donald Rumsfeld, the Defence Secretary at the time, signed-off on a series of similar clandestine military operations.

Throughout the 20th century, secret operations in countries at peace with the US were traditionally carried out by the CIA. A direct chain of command that ran directly from the Agency to the president was also overseen by a Congressional committee.

Although there is no legal obligation under the new order, Pentagon officials say any significant ventures are cleared through the National Security Council.